The Chips Joint Undertaking (Chips JU) Information and Networking Day, organised under the Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project, was successfully held on 3 April 2026 in Ankara with broad participation from the public sector, industry, academia, and the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The event began with opening remarks addressing Türkiye’s strategic positioning within the Horizon Europe Programme, Chips JU, and the European Chips Act. The opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Çağrı Yıldırım, Horizon Europe National Coordinator, and were accompanied by Mr. Hasan Burak Tiftik and Dr. Özlem Gezici Koç, Horizon Europe Cluster 4 National Contact Points responsible for the thematic framework of the event. In this context, a strong framework was presented to strengthen Türkiye’s potential in the semiconductor field, increase its integration into European value chains, and deepen international cooperation.
Throughout the day, the technical and strategic sessions addressed the current structure of the European semiconductor ecosystem and its future direction from a holistic perspective. Critical areas such as semiconductor design, manufacturing, pilot lines, and competence centres were discussed together with AI-supported systems, as well as automotive and energy applications. At the same time, concrete guidance was provided on participation processes in Chips JU projects, project types, consortium-building approaches, and lessons learned from Electronic Components and Systems for European Leadership (ECSEL) and Key Digital Technologies (KDT) experiences, with a particular emphasis on developing high-impact and competitive projects aligned with European Union priorities.
In the sessions held in a hybrid format, which focused on the path from research to impact, particular emphasis was placed on strong project design, structuring work packages, defining impact pathways, and effectively positioning international cooperation. The role of SMEs, start-ups, and cross-border collaborations was also highlighted, offering a perspective on how actors from Türkiye can take a stronger place in European consortia.
During the session focusing on national support mechanisms, the co-funding schemes, proposal preparation support, and National Contact Point services provided by TÜBİTAK were introduced, while information was also shared on travel support, application processes, and budgeting approaches.
The sessions focusing on real-life implementation examples and success stories provided concrete experiences through projects developed in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, digital twins, smart mobility, and industrial AI, offering participants valuable practice-oriented insights. This dynamic content was further reinforced through the pitching session held at the end of the day, where participants had the opportunity to present their project ideas directly and connect with potential partners. In this way, a strong environment for interaction was created, laying the groundwork for new collaborations and accelerating consortium-building processes.
Bringing together more than 80 in-person participants and over 100 online participants, the event strengthened Türkiye’s visibility and collaboration capacity within the European semiconductor ecosystem through intensive networking activities.
The Chips Joint Undertaking Information and Networking Day stood out as an important step towards strengthening capacity in the semiconductor field in Türkiye, increasing international cooperation, and supporting stronger project participation under Horizon Europe.
The presentations delivered during the event and approved for dissemination are available on the relevant section of our project website.